1. MLA Formatting and
Style Guide

2. Your Instructor Knows Best
#1 Rule for any formatting style:
Always
Follow your instructor’s
guidelines

3. Format Information
–
–
–
–
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Paper: white paper: 8 1/2 x 11 inches.
Print on single side only.
Margins- 1 inch {top, bottom, left, and right}
Formatting- Font: Times New Roman
Size: 12 points
- Do not justify the text
– Double-space the entire research paper
– Leave one space after a period
– Heading: Begin at 1 inch from the top of the page, type:
- Your name
- Teacher’s name
- Course name
- Date: Example—13 November 2013
• All on separate lines and double-spaced

4. •
Begin your research paper title on a new line and center it.
– Do not:
• Italicize, underline, in quotation, boldface, or type in all CAPs
your title.
• There is no period after your title or after any heading in your
paper
•
Page Numbers- Place page number on all pages
- Place page numbers 1/2 inch from the top-right margin
- Type your last name before the page number: your last name
followed by a space then page number.
•
Tables and Illustrations
– Place tables and illustrations as close as possible to the parts of
the text to which they relate. A table is labeled Table, given an
Arabic numeral and titled.
– Photograph, map, drawing should be labeled Figure (usually
abbreviated Fig.), assign an Arabic numeral and give a caption.

5. Sample 1st Page

6. Sample 1st Page

7. In-Text Citations: the Basics
 MLA uses parenthetical citations (In-text citations)
 Parenthetical citations depend on the medium
(e.g. Print, Web, DVD)
 Parenthetical citations also depend on the source’s
entry on the Works Cited page
 Signal word in the text is the first thing in the
corresponding entry on the Works Cited page

8. Author-Page Style
In-text Example:
Wordsworth stated that Romantic poetry was marked by a
"spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings" (263).
Romantic poetry is characterized by the "spontaneous overflow of
powerful feelings" (Wordsworth 263). Wordsworth extensively
explored the role of emotion in the creative process (263).
Corresponding Works Cited Entry:
Wordsworth, William. Lyrical Ballads. London: Oxford
U.P., 1967. Print.

9. Print Source with Author
In-text Example:
Human beings have been described by Kenneth Burke as
"symbol-using animals" (3).
Human beings have been described as "symbol-using
animals" (Burke 3).
*Note: No comma or “pg” between the name and the page #
Corresponding Works Cited Entry:
Burke, Kenneth. Language as Symbolic Action: Essays on Life, Literature,
and Method. Berkeley: U of California P, 1966. Print.

10. With Unknown Author
In-text Example:
We see so many global warming hotspots in North America
likely because this region has “more readily accessible
climatic data and more comprehensive programs to monitor
and study environmental change . . .” (“Impact of Global
Warming” 6).
Corresponding Works Cited Entry:
“The Impact of Global Warming in North America.”
Global Warming: Early Signs. 1999. Web. 23 Mar.

11. Other In-Text Citations 1
Classic & Literary Works with Multiple Editions
In-text Example:
Marx and Engels described human history as marked by class
struggles (79; ch. 1).
Authors with Same Last Names
In-text Example:
Although some medical ethicists claim that cloning will lead to
designer children (R. Miller 12), others note that the advantages for
medical research outweigh this consideration (A. Miller 46).

12. Other In-Text Citations 2
Work by Multiple Authors
In-text Examples:
Smith, Yang, and Moore argue that tougher gun control is not needed in
the United States (76).
The authors state "Tighter gun control in the United States erodes Second
Amendment rights" (Smith, Yang, and Moore 76).
Jones et al. counter Smith, Yang, and Moore's argument by noting the
current spike in gun violence in America compels law makers to adjust
gun laws (4).

13. Other In-Text Citations 3
Multiple Works by the Same Author
In-text Examples:
Lightenor has argued that computers are not useful tools for
small children ("Too Soon" 38), though he has acknowledged
elsewhere that early exposure to computer games does lead to
better small motor skill development in a child's second and
third year ("Hand-Eye Development" 17).

14. Other In-Text Citations 4
Citing Multivolume Works
In-text Example:
. . . as Quintilian wrote in Institutio Oratoria (1: 14-17).
Citing the Bible
In-text Example:
Ezekiel saw "what seemed to be four living creatures," each
with faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (New
Jerusalem Bible, Ezek. 1.5-10).

15. Other In-Text Citations 5
Citing Indirect Sources
In-text Example:
Ravitch argues that high schools are pressured to act as
"social service centers, and they don't do that well" (qtd. in
Weisman 259).
Multiple Citations
In-text Example:
. . . as has been discussed elsewhere (Burke 3; Dewey 21).

16. Other In-Text Citations 6
Miscellaneous Non-Print Sources
In-text Example:
Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo stars Herzog's long-time film
partner, Klaus Kinski. During the shooting of Fitzcarraldo,
Herzog and Kinski were often at odds, but their explosive
relationship fostered a memorable and influential film.
Corresponding Works Cited Entry:
Herzog, Werner, dir. Fitzcarraldo. Perf. Klaus Kinski.
Filmverlag der Autoren, 1982. Film.

17. Other In-Text Citations 7
Sources from the Internet
In-text Example:
One online film critic stated that Fitzcarraldo is "...a beautiful
and terrifying critique of obsession and colonialism" (Garcia,
“Herzog: a Life”).
Corresponding Works Cited Entry:
Garcia, Elizabeth. "Herzog: a Life." Online Film Critics
Corner. The Film School of New Hampshire, 2 May
2002. Web. 8 Jan. 2009.

18. Formatting Short Quotations
In-text Examples:
According to some, dreams express "profound aspects of
personality" (Foulkes 184), though others disagree.
According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express "profound
aspects of personality" (184).
Is it possible that dreams may express "profound aspects of
personality" (Foulkes 184)?
Cullen concludes, "Of all the things that happened there /
That's all I remember" (11-12).

19. Formatting Long Quotations
In-text Example:
Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout
her narration:
They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their
room, and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the landing of the
stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else
One
attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door,
inch
and there he found it on quitting his chamber. Inquiries were
indent
made as to how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in
recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the
house. (Bronte 78)

20. Adding/Omitting Words
In-text Example for Adding Words:
Jan Harold Brunvand, in an essay on urban legends, states:
"some individuals [who retell urban legends] make a point
of learning every rumor or tale" (78).
In-text example for Omitting Words:
In an essay on urban legends, Jan Harold Brunvand notes
that "some individuals make a point of learning every
recent rumor or tale . . . and in a short time a lively
exchange of details occurs" (78).

21. Works Cited Page: The Basics
Sample Works Cited page:

22. Works Cited Page: Books
Basic Format:
Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. Place of Publication:
Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.
Examples:
Gleick, James. Chaos: Making a New Science. New York:
Penguin, 1987. Print.
---. The Films of the Eighties: A Social History. Carbondale:
Southern Illinois UP, 1993. Print.

23. Works Cited Page: Periodicals
Article in a Magazine Format:
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Periodical Day Month Year:
pages. Medium of publication.
Example:
Buchman, Dana. "A Special Education." Good Housekeeping
Mar. 2006: 143-8. Print.
Article in Scholarly Journal Format:
Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume.Issue (Year):
pages. Medium of publication.
Example:
Duvall, John N. "The (Super)Marketplace of Images: Television
as Unmediated Mediation in DeLillo's White Noise." Arizona
Quarterly 50.3 (1994): 127- 53. Print.

24. Works Cited Page: Web
Web Source Format:
Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). “Article
Name.” Name of Site. Version number. Name of
institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor
or publisher). Date of last update. Medium of publication.
Date of access. Web address.

25. Works Cited Page: Web
Examples:
Bernstein, Mark. "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web.”
A List Apart: For People Who Make Websites. A
List Apart Mag., 16 Aug. 2002. Web. 4 May 2009.
Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory.
Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003. Web. 10 May 2006.
"How to Make Vegetarian Chili." eHow.com. eHow,
n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2009.

26. Works Cited Page: Other
Personal Interview Example:
Purdue, Pete. Personal interview. 1 Dec. 2000.
Speech Example:
Stein, Bob. Computers and Writing Conference.
Purdue University. Union Club Hotel, West
Lafayette, IN. 23 May 2003. Keynote address.

27. Works Cited Page: Other
Film Example:
The Usual Suspects. Dir. Bryan Singer. Perf. Kevin
Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen
Baldwin, and Benecio del Toro. Polygram, 1995.
Film.

28. The End